


thisisangelheart

by MashiarasDream



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M, Tumblr, ao3 - Freeform, commenter!Dean, fic-writer!Cas, social media for the win
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 09:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14974241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MashiarasDream/pseuds/MashiarasDream
Summary: The one where everyone has an online crush on AO3-writer angelheart but Impala67 is the only commenter ever to get a reply.





	thisisangelheart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [QueenMaire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenMaire/gifts).



> This one is for you, [Queen Maire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenMaire/pseuds/QueenMaire) because your comments on [Choice ](https://archiveofourown.org/series/750807) gave me the idea!  
> Thank you to [DeanRiordain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeanRiordain/pseuds/DeanRiordain) and [Alyeen1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyeen1/pseuds/Alyeen1) for betaing!

_Angelheart: Well, Impala67, you beg nicer than most people. I’m almost inclined to grant your request. Almost._

Dean stares at the message on his screen. He clicks out of the website and back in. The message is still there.

Half a minute later, Dean’s phone chimes.

_CharlieTheQueen @Dean: Dude, did angelheart just answer you?? And FLIRT with you???_

Dean checks the notification from AO3 again. It’s still there.

_Dean @CharlieTheQueen: I blame you, Red. For this and everything else, pretty much._

_CharlieTheQueen @Dean: Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee._

_CharlieTheQueen @Dean: What are you going to answer?_

What is he going to answer? Is he going to answer? Dean’s heart picks up its pace as the possibility occurs to him for the first time.

His phone rings.

“What would I even write?” Dean says in lieu of a hello. “I know nothing about him!”

“Well, you did something right with your last comment, obviously,” Charlie answers excitedly. “Also, you can’t be sure it’s a _he_.”

“It’s a he,” Dean insists. “I  have a feeling.”

“But you can’t knoooooow!”

“It’s just - it’s the writing style. It’s the small things.”

“Dude, not even I have that good a gaydar.”

“And now _you’re_ assuming,” Dean shoots back.

“Well, no one who isn’t at least a tiny bit queer writes loving gays this well. But the girl on girl action is just as well written as the guy on guy stuff, so…”

“So he could just be a good writer,” Dean points out.

“Well, _they_ are flirting with you and last I checked _you_ weren’t all that particular about gender but you had as big a crush as the rest of us, so what are you going to write back?”

“I – I don’t know.” Dean says. He’s still completely flabbergasted that angelheart replied to him at all.

Because angelheart never replies to anyone. Angelheart doesn’t have a tumblr, either. Angelheart leaves brilliant stories on AO3 and does not otherwise interact with the online world. That Dean or Charlie could find out about anyway. And they’ve tried. Oh, they’ve tried.

“Dean!!!” Charlie brings him back to the present.

“Umm, yeah, sorry. Just – what?”

Charlie laughs. “Yeah, man, I hear you. I’d be daydreaming as well if they had answered me. Oh, oops. Apparently everyone else has caught on now, too.”

Dean refreshes the page and there are several new comments under angelheart’s. The first being:

_Superfan99: Oh myyyyy Gaaaaad!! I want babies with you, angelheart!!!_

Followed by a string of emojis.

“Ooookay, that’s a new level of creepy even for her. And isn’t Becky dating that Chuck guy now?” Because Superfan99 most definitely has a tumblr. That she uses to share every inappropriate detail of her life.

“Hey, at least she worded that gender-neutrally,” Charlie snickers. “Also, I’m pretty sure Chuck has a boner over angelheart like every other writer on the planet. Maybe Becky thinks they can raise the kids in a big happy commune.”

“Ewww,” Dean shakes his head.

“Hey, don’t dis alternative lifestyles.”

“I’m dissing _Becky_ , not her lifestyle.”

“Yeah, okay, fair enough,” Charlie admits. “But what are you gonna write back???”

Dean scrolls through the other comments that have collected under his by now. They are echoing Becky’s “oh my God” in various shades of geek, though instead of asking angelheart for babies, they are usually wondering the same things Dean is wondering. Like who angelheart is and why he's writing Dean.

_YourNightmare13: Why this guy? Who is this guy? It’s a guy, right?_

_AngelWings4Ever: Yes, he is. His tumblr has the same user name._

“Uh oh, outed.”

“You’re in the closet again?” Charlie asks mock-seriously.

“Haha,” Dean rolls his eyes. “They found my tumblr.”

“Well, it isn’t exactly hidden. But if I was you, I’d have turned off anon comments like ten minutes ago.”

And that turns out to be a good idea, because Dean’s already got half a dozen anon messages and all of them are various degrees of alarming.

“This one accuses me of having an affair with her boyfriend. Ah, and this one is telling me to kill myself. Joy.”

“I’m sorry, Dean.”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Dean turns anon messaging off, reports the anons that have already gotten through and blocks them for good measure. “How are they even so fast?”

“They live online,” Charlie says laconically. “Not like we didn’t notice the message within 30 seconds of angelheart sending it.”

“Oh shit.” Dean sits up straight. “We did, didn’t we? Does this mean – does this mean angelheart is online _right now_?”

“Holy fuck! You’re right! They might still be online _waiting_ for an answer from you!” She squeals again. “You gotta answer, Dean! You gotta answer _right now_!”

“Okay, okay,” Dean goes back to AO3, reloading the page in the process. And, “Oh shit. How???”

 _SW62: Angel, dude. He’s supposed to pray to you, not beg.There’s absolutely no need to reward him._  

“Uh-oh, little brother alert,” Charlie snickers.

“Shut up,” Dean grouses. He is still a little sore that the only reason Sam chose this username is because he’s 6’2’’ now and Dean is stuck at 6’1’’ and will never be the taller brother again.

Before he can think about it, he clicks _reply_ , though he’s not even sure what he’s going to type. ‘Shut your piehole or I’m gonna tell Mom that you’re commenting on a fic rated mature’? Yeah, right, way to go, making your online crush aware that your annoying little brother is spying on you.

“Dean!” Charlie interrupts his thoughts excitedly. “Refresh the page!”

He does and holy cow, somehow his brother’s answer has brought an immediate reply from angelheart.

_Angelheart: I’ve heard that praying and begging are basically the same thing anyway. So I’ll let it count._

“Dude! Dude!”

Dean’s eyes are bugging out of his head and he’s reasonably sure that Charlie would be shaking him by now if they were in the same room.

_“YOUR ROGUE SAID THAT!!! YOUR ROGUE SAID THAT JUST LAST WEEK!!!”_

Dean has already put her on speaker but the audio actually goes to static for a moment because it can’t handle Charlie’s volume.

“Calm down, Red!” Though his own heart is pounding so hard against his ribcage that it almost hurts. “There’s like a hundred different explanations for this and none of them have to do with our D&D campaign!”

_“OH MY GOD, THIS MEANS THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!”_

“Charlie! Calm the fuck down!” It can’t be. Can it be?

“Holy fuck, what if it’s someone from our group? Oh God, what if we’ve all been harboring a literary crush on _Kevin_?”

They contemplate this in shocked silence for a moment.

“That would be quite illegal,” Dean finally says drily. Kevin is, after all, the other underage member of their group next to Sam.

“Nah, it can’t be him. When would he even find the time?” Charlie muses. “Between his AP classes and cello and whatever else his mom makes him do, he’s barely got the time for D&D these days. Unless he doesn’t actually need sleep, he’d never have the time to write so much. Hmm, who then? Victor? Garth?”

“Have you _seen_ Garth’s sock puppet show? There is no way he suddenly writes, you know, sex scenes and shit.”

“Yeah, okay, point,” Charlie allows. “What about Victor then? He might not be as straight as he seems.”

Dean chuckles. “You are aware that you’re only naming dudes, aren’t you? What happened to we don’t know angelheart’s gender?”

“Well, our regulars are all dudes apart from Gilda and me!” Charlie defends. “And it’s highly doubtful that Gilda would intentionally flirt with you.”

“Yeah, how is it going on that front anyway?” Dean immediately holds on to the thing that allows him to get the attention off of himself for a moment.

“Uhh, it’s complicated,” Charlie says uncomfortably. “Fairies are…”

“Magical?”

“Flighty and somewhat commitment shy,” Charlie replies soberly. “But such good kissers!” The somber tone changes into a dreamy sigh.

“Yeah, okay, I’ve walked in on that before and I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

“Dude, as if you didn’t like the show,” Charlie snickers.

“Well…” And suddenly Dean’s not all that opposed to going back to the topic at hand. “So, what do I do now? About angelheart I mean.”

“You answer. And try to figure out whether they actually know you or not.”

“And how do I do that?”

“By getting them to talk, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Dean echoes sarcastically. As if they haven’t all been trying to get angelheart to respond and it’s never worked until today.

Dean stares at his keyboard for another few minutes before he types.

_Impala67: Shouldn’t prayers be confidential? You got a message box open somewhere?_

It’s a risk and he knows it. But it’s literally the only thing he can think of doing that might actually land him a conversation with angelheart. So he hits _send_.

Thirty seconds later, Charlie breathes an awed “whoa”.

“Luck is with the brave?” Dean tries to sound confident but it comes out as a question anyway.

They stare at the screen in silence, Dean’s heart jumping into his throat every time he hits F5. Nothing happens. Not even an obnoxious answer from Sam or Becky. Just nothing. With every new time he refreshes the page, Dean’s heart sinks further. He’s blown it. Been too forward. Scared angelheart away.

“Maybe he’s had to go offline?” Charlie says, clearly trying to console him.

“Yeah, maybe,” Dean answers, voice sounding small.

“Hey, come on, you’re still the only person to ever get a reply from them.”

“Yeah,” Dean snorts. “Me and my little brother. I feel real special.” It comes out more bitter than he intends. “Hey, you know what? I think I need to wallow a bit. Can I call you back tonight?”

Charlie hums her understanding. “Make it a good pity party at least?”

“Yeah, sure thing, Red,” Dean nods.

“Alright. Talk to you tonight then, Winchester.”

“Bye bye, Red.”

Dean stares at his screen for a little longer after they’ve hung up. He should shut the AO3 page instead torturing himself. He refreshes one more time. There’s a new comment, but the avatar says it all. It’s from Superfan99. He grimaces and closes the tab without reading the comment.

Which leaves his tumblr tab open.

Which shows a new notification.

He’s gotten an ask. From a blog named thisisangelheart. A blog that Dean is pretty sure he’s never seen before.

_thisisangelheart: Is this how messaging works on tumblr? This app is not intuitive._

It sounds grumpy and more than a little endearing. Still, Dean isn’t convinced. He’s posted a public comment and suddenly angelheart has a tumblr? Yeah, right.

He clicks on thisisangelheart’s profile and there isn’t a single post on it. It’s a new blog. Dean shakes his head, immediately angry. He knows exactly two people who would mess with him like this, one being his little brother and the other being Gabe, owner of the cafe where they play D&D, occasional trickster in their campaign and perpetual thorn in Dean’s side. Now Gabe hasn’t been among the commenters on AO3 today, but if anything that makes this _more_ suspicious in Dean’s eyes.

So Dean clicks answer privately and writes:

_Impala67: As you are well aware, this is an ask, not a message. And like hell will I publish it. Try again, Gabe. Or better yet, cut it out. Cause I’m not falling for this, asshole._

Still, Dean doesn’t smash his notebook shut like his first impulse tells him to and he doesn’t even close the tumblr tab. Instead, he waits for an answer. Any answer.

He’s not sure what he expects but it’s not a notification that thisisangelheart has started following him and then the message window popping up.

_thisisangelheart: is this correct then?_

Dean rolls his eyes.

_Impala67: dude, we have a message thread from your main. I know that you know how this works._

Immediately, the little dots are showing that there is typing.

_Thisisangelheart: I assure you that I’m not Gabriel._

Dean snorts.

_Impala67: Yeah, dude, talking fancy won’t make me believe it, either. Though since apparently you’re into rp this week - you on for Saturday? Campaign could need you._

It’s the best way he knows how to say ‘no hard feelings if you stop this bullshit right now’.

_Thisisangelheart: I am NOT Gabriel._

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.

_Impala67: So you’re not Gabriel? But you’re not asking who Gabe is, huh? You know him then? Well, next guess: Sammy. I assume you never want to borrow Baby again ever if you’re messing with me like this._

_Thisisangelheart: Baby?_

And that sounds almost honestly confused. Which, probably not Sam. Sam would have gone for witty.

_Impala67: My car. See also: my username. Who the fuck are you, dude?_

_Thisisangelheart: I told you! See also: MY username._

And alright, this is not getting them anywhere. Dean needs to change tack.

_Impala67: Okay, I’ll play. If you are who you say you are, then PROVE it._

For a long minute nothing happens. “Gotcha, huh?” Dean mutters.

But then the little dots that indicate typing on the other side are back.

_Thisisangelheart: I apologize for the delay. I was beginning to regret this even more than I already regretted it. But my brother has convinced me that this reaction was to be expected and is not to be taken personally. So. Here you go._

The message ends abruptly and then a picture is loading. Dean’s heart immediately thumps in his chest. Either it’s going to be a picture of Gabe’s butt or - can it be? Can it be that this is actually angelheart and Dean will be the first and only person online to see their picture?

And then the pic comes through.

It’s not a photo. It’s a screenshot. Of a google docs page.

“Holy fuck.” Because that’s a scene between Dr. Sexy and the hot male nurse which means Dr. Sexy’s not together anymore with -

_Impala67: DUDE!!!! SPOILERS!!!!_

_Thisisangelheart: I apologize. It was the only way I could think of to prove my identity._

And that. That. That leaves Dean speechless.

_Impala67: You’re really him. You’re angelheart._

And then, because he remembers Charlie’s words, he adds.

_Impala67: Or her, obviously. I don’t judge._

_Thisisangelheart: How progressive of you._

It sounds decidedly sarcastic and it doesn’t give Dean any additional clues as to angelheart’s identity. Not that he’s really recovered from the shock that it seems that he is actually chatting with angelheart yet. He skims over the screenshot again. It’s almost a whole page of content that no one else knows. Dean might have literal hearts in his eyes.

_Impala67: I’ll begpray more often if it lands me this._

_Thisisangelheart: Begpraying is not a thing._

_Thisisangelheart: Also, I’ll post this chapter tomorrow anyway. I’m almost done editing._

Dean frowns at the sentences. There is something about them. The sentence structure, maybe. He can’t put his finger on it, but something is familiar. Like he can almost read the sentences in the voice that they belong to.

_Impala67: You obviously haven’t met me. I’ll MAKE begpraying a thing. I’m stubborn like that. Also, I wasn’t talking about the chapter._

The three little dots start up just to cease again. When the pause gets too long, Dean sighs and types.

_Impala67: For the record, yes, I AM trying to flirt with you. If you’re not into it, just say the word. I’ll stop._

The three little dots come back.

_Thisisangelheart: You don’t even know whether I’m a guy or a girl._

_Impala67: Your brain is hot stuff. That’s good enough for me._

_Thisisangelheart: …_

This time the three dots stay. Dean chuckles. He’s a little starstruck still but he’s also kind of enjoying this.

_Impala67: Speechless already? Thought it would take more. Seeing how you have such a way with words usually._

_Thisisangelheart: That’s - characters. They’re all in my head. This is - you. You’re not in my head. I think, anyway._

_Impala67: Pretty sure I’m not a figment of your imagination, yup. But since we’re on the topic of me - why me? You have, like, NEVER answered anyone else before._

Dean’s kind of genuinely curious about this one. Yeah, he’s a regular in angelheart’s comments, but so are all of his friends. And Dean’s pretty sure that he’s neither the wittiest nor the smartest of their regular crowd. He’s not the creepiest, either - that title goes to Becky, no doubt - but just cause he was begging for a new chapter to finally solve the mystery of Dr. Sexy’s stolen boots (hopefully with a steamy scene involving said boots)? In fact, it could be seen as bad online etiquette that he was impatient about getting a new chapter. Angelheart is writing this for free, after all.

_Thisisangelheart: It’s my brother’s fault._

_Impala67: ??? Your brother likes me???_

_Thisisangelheart: OH GOD NO that’s not what I meant. Not that you’re not likeable or that he would say no if you - nevermind, I do NOT like this train of thought._

Dean chuckles.

_Impala67: You ramble in writing like I do when I try to flirt with a guy in person._

_Thisisangelheart: You ramble? You don’t seem shy._

_Impala67: I’m not. It’s just when I try to talk to a guy that I like. Then I stumble over my words. It’s embarrassing. You were saying about your brother?_

_Thisisangelheart: Not embarrassing. Cute, maybe. And my brother made me write you. I may have told him about you._

Dean’s heart stumbles about the _cute_ for a moment before he catches on to the second part.

_Impala 67: You told your brother about my comments? Why?_

That doesn’t make much sense.

_Thisisangelheart: Yes. I told him about your comments. That’s all I told him about. Exactly._

Yeah, that sounds a little less than the full truth.

_Impala67: Uh-huh, sure Jan. What else did you tell him and what else do you know about me?_

There is no immediate answer. Dean goes over their whole message thread again. There’s something familiar about the speech patterns, he’s sure of it now. It’s not just angelheart’s writing style, either. His characters don’t talk the same way he does. Couple that with the comment that was suspiciously close to what Dean’s Rogue had said and...

_Impala67: Fess up, fella. Cause I’m getting the distinct feeling that you know me._

_Thisisangelheart: You have a blog..._

_Impala67: That I post pictures of muscle cars on._

_Thisisangelheart: Like your Baby._

_Impala67: Points for remembering that but minus points for the deflection. I’m not falling for it. Again: why answer me out of all the people leaving comments on your stories?_

There is a long silence on the other end of the line. Long enough, actually, that Dean checks angelheart’s online status. But yeah, the little green dot is still there. This is getting a little ominous.

But then there’s typing again.

_Thisisangelheart: Because he’s got the hots for you, Dean-o, that’s why. But he’s too chicken to tel_

That’s where the message stops. And that… There’s only one person he knows who calls him that.

_Impala67: GABE?????_

_Thisisangelheart: Apologies. I’ve wrestled my notebook back out of my brother’s grasp. And have thrown him out and locked my door for good measure._

_Impala67: Brother?? You’re Gabe’s brother???_

Dean feels a little faint as everything clicks into place. The speech pattern that he knows. The way angelheart had known about their D&D campaign.

_Impala67: Gabe’s brother Cassie who helps at the cafe on Saturdays?_

_Thisisangelheart: I’m sorry. I didn’t want to deceive you._

Dean hadn’t even really thought that far yet. His world is still crashing a little bit around him.

_Impala67: Gabe’s brother Cassie who regularly geeks out with my brother about the weirdest shit?_

_Thisisangelheart: It’s Castiel, actually. And again, I apologize. I understand if you don’t want to continue this conversation._

_Impala67: Dude, wait! Let me process!_

Because Gabe’s brother Cassie - Castiel might be a geek but he’s also friendly and a little shy and _cute_. Very cute actually. And now that Dean thinks about it, he may have caught Cas glancing in his direction once or twice. And there seems to be a vague recollection of blushing as well. On both sides. Cause Dean may or may not have checked out Castiel’s booty more than once. And the rest of him as well. Dean can feel his cheeks heating up just thinking about it.

_Impala67: Let me summarize once more just to be sure I got this right: You’re angelheart and the trickster is your brother?_

_Thisisangelheart: Yes, Dean. That would seem correct._

Dean can almost hear Cas’ consternated sigh.

_Impala67: Wow._

_Impala67: Can’t say I expected this._

_Impala67: Though I was right, you’re a guy. Ha! Suck it, Charlie._

_Thisisangelheart: Unlikely. Seeing how she’s a lesbian._

That makes Dean guffaw with surprised laughter.

_Impala67: Figure of speech, dude. So, uhhh… you know me from the cafe. And you decide to chat me up in your comments. Any particular reason?_

_Thisisangelheart: Do freckles count?_

Dean touches his face self-consciously. He’s never sure whether he likes his freckles or not. They make him _adorable_ according to Charlie. Dean isn’t sure he wants to be adorable, though. Maybe he wants to be taken seriously.

_Thisisangelheart: Also, I like the way you laugh with your whole body._

And okay, that’s a new one. He’s had girls wax poetic about his features before but no one’s ever commented on his laugh.

_Thisisangelheart: I’m sorry. I swear I’m not a creep._

Dean shakes his head emphatically.

_Impala67: Dude, stop apologizing. I noticed you, too._

_Thisisangelheart: You did?_

It sounds like disbelief, so obviously Dean can’t let it stand.

_Impala67: Have you seen your eyes? They’re like the bluest blue to ever blue._

_Thisisangelheart: …_

And yeah, that was probably a bit better than mentioning the booty but it’s still kind of shallow. Dean can do better.

_Impala67: Also, you’re always kind when you explain shit to my little brother. You never get impatient with him. Or me for that matter. When I - uhh, cannot even get through my order without tripping over my tongue or my feet?_

_Impala67: I know you can’t see this but I’m blushing._

_Thisisangelheart: Well, you always seemed to try to flee from me fast. Gabriel and I interpreted vastly different reasons for it._

Yeah, Dean’s definitely tomato-red now and thank God that Castiel can’t see him.

_Impala67: Have I mentioned that thing about me and cute guys…_

_Thisisangelheart: So you did not actually try to flee my company?_

_Impala67: No. Just embarrassed._

_Thisisangelheart: This might be the first time in my life that I’m glad that my brother was right and I was wrong. Let’s never tell him._

Dean snorts. Yeah, Gabe doesn’t need to be encouraged.

_Thisisangelheart: Would you like to - try to actually talk when you come in this Saturday?_

And suddenly, Dean’s heart is thumping really hard in his chest again. Because that sounds - really frightening and really good at the same time.

_Impala67: It might, uhh, work better with less people around? Especially less of my nosy friends._

_Thisisangelheart: What do you propose then?_

Dean swallows hard. This is definitely the point at which his voice would give out in person. Fortunately, his fingers on the keyboard cooperate better.  

_Impala67: Dinner and a movie? Tomorrow? If you want to and have time? We could celebrate you uploading the new chapter._

_Thisisangelheart: You want me to upload it early so you can still read it before?_

_Impala67: Is that a yes?_

_Thisisangelheart: Yes, Dean, that’s a yes._

Dean’s pretty sure that his face is almost splitting apart he’s grinning so hard.

_Impala67: Awesome! Pick you up at 8?_

_Thisisangelheart: I look forward to meeting Baby._

And yeah, if he keeps going like this, angelheart is definitely on the fast track to Dean’s heart. Still, he can at least pretend to keep his cool about this.

_Impala67: It’ll be my honor to introduce you two! I’m sure you’ll get along well. Just cast her if you ever need Dr. Sexy to have a real car! :D_

_Thisisangelheart: Cowboy boots are made for horseback riding not safe driving, Dean._

_Impala67: Well, that’s why I’m picking up you! *smirk*_

 

**_One week later..._ **

_Update on CharlieTheQueen’s blog, reblogged to Impala67’s blog, tagging both Impala67 and thisisangelheart:_

_SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!_

_[Picture: Two guys and a car. No faces are visible but lighter-haired guy has darker-haired guy shoved up against the side of an Impala. Darker-haired guy’s hands are holding on tightly to the back of lighter-haired guy. The two are kissing. Due to the framing of the picture, it is unclear whether anyone is wearing cowboy boots.]_


End file.
